Tin

[Pitmaster]

I'm still new to casting and haven't yet cast my first bullet but I have been collecting lead.

I lucked into a little over a half ton of 96% pure lead from a medical facility. I will be smelting it into ingots. From my understanding I need to add some tin and/or other alloys to make bullets. Where can I source cheap tin? What do I look for?

Thanks,

[Bill*]

I purchased some on feebay, after watching sales prices for a bit. I dont think your gonna find any cheap. That being said, You wont need a ton-usually I add 1-2% or so....Bill

[HeavyMetal]

Depends on what your going to shoot those boolits in!

If your going BP than pure is what you need, Target 38's or 45's again you can use pure lead or mix 50-50 with wheel weights.

Move into hot magnums or rifle loads and you may want to mix in a little type metal depending on what your shooting.

You certainly have the base metal if you decide to blend up some alloys!

[RustyFN]

Dang Pit nice score. If you don't want to add it in when you smelt you can add it in your production pot. I learned that from somebody here. I add some 95/5 solder to the pot when I cast. That's 95% tin and 5% antimony.
Rusty

[Pitmaster]

Rusty, the lead came from Sparky on Glockpost. I picked it up yesterday and still have to unload it. Rained like heck today. Over 11 inches since Friday.

I think I"m getting about 50lbs of linotype in a couple of weeks. Can that be used by itself or use tin alos.?

[RustyFN]

That lino would be good to blend with the lead to harden it a bit. I don't know what % to mix. I will be asking the same question when I get some. I'm hoping to get some of that from Dan also.
Rusty

[454PB]

I use a 50/50 mix of pure lead and linotype for a magnum pistol and rifle boolit alloy. Depending on the quality of the linotype, it will end up around BHN 16 to 18. For use at velocities below 1200 fps, you could drop down to 60% lead and 40% linotype.

[Echo]

One pound of lead-free solder (that is about 96% tin) will take care of 30-50 pounds of pure lead. If you wish to harden, either WD or OH, you will need some antimony in the alloy. So then you could do 30-50 pounds of WW's and a pound of solder.

[REDTAIL]

If you guys can find any old style printshops in your areas that are still using Cold Type to set their print to go to press with, and that still use Linotype or Ludlow machines to cast their type they are a excellent source of lead expecially Linotype, they are always melting down the lead and always have scrap lead on hand how do i know i use to be in the printing business years ago, I know in this computer age there are not as many old style print shops around but some local newspaper print shop may still be doing things the old type setting way it pays to look around and see, linotype still cast great bullets

[Buckshot]

................If you got 1,000 lbs of 96% tin (what's the remaining 4%, lead?) you could probably sell 800lbs of it @ $7/lb or so as fast as you could pack and ship it. The 200 lbs you have left will last you the rest of your life.

An old friend of mine gave me about 100 lbs of tin maybe 10/12 years ago and I still have almost all of it. If I ever used any (seldom) it was one or two ounces at a time. If you were heavily into BPCR or muzzle loading where alloys are mostly pure lead and tin, then I'd keep more tin as slugs generally will run 500 grs or so.

Most generally for us shooting WW typical and derivative alloys, added tin is used in 1/2% increments or so to sweeten an alloy up. Generally only if needed and not 'Just for fun' :-)

................Buckshot

[Alvin in AZ]

I lucked into a little over a half ton of 96% pure lead from a medical facility.

Is there any way to find out what that other 4% is? :)
Seems to me that would be the first thing to do. :)

Alvin in AZ

[cohutt]

Is there any way to find out what that other 4% is? :)
Seems to me that would be the first thing to do. :)

Alvin in AZ

I saw a picture of Pit's lead, it is pure of the same type i have gotten from an x-ray shielding contractor.
My source says xray shielding specs call for PURE lead, something in the order of 99.6%. They have it spec'd at a lab down at Georgia Tech each time they get a new load from a supplier.

I'm betting this is the same as what Pitmaster has, seeing as it came from adn install job and was scrap from the new shielding and not demolition.

[Pitmaster]

I saw a picture of Pit's lead, it is pure of the same type i have gotten from an x-ray shielding contractor.
My source says xray shielding specs call for PURE lead, something in the order of 99.6%. They have it spec'd at a lab down at Georgia Tech each time they get a new load from a supplier.

I'm betting this is the same as what Pitmaster has, seeing as it came from adn install job and was scrap from the new shielding and not demolition.

Sparky said he saw the paperwork on the lead and it was 96.something pure.

I know I won't use it all so I'll put some up on http://triggermountain.com, here, and a couple of other places over the winter. I"m hoping to smelt some of it this weekend.

[Pitmaster]

If you got 1,000 lbs of 96% tin (what's the remaining 4%, lead?) you could probably sell 800lbs of it @ $7/lb or so as fast as you could pack and ship it. The 200 lbs you have left will last you the rest of your life.


Buckshot,

It's lead not tin. Otherwise my retirement fund would grow a little.:drinks:

[Jon]

I'm sure you could trade quite a bit of it for WW lead. I've been trying to find some pure lead for my blackpowder revolver.

[montana_charlie]

Pitmaster, about your avatar...
Is that your normal attire when casting under a harvest moon?
CM

[Pitmaster]

Pitmaster, about your avatar...
Is that your normal attire when casting under a harvest moon?
CM

No, I switch out the belt and holster to the Galco. I keep the Milt Sparks for the office. :drinks:

[jawjaboy]

They have it spec'd at a lab down at Georgia Tech each time they get a new load from a supplier.

Yep, I agree, da good southern folk at UGA taught GA TECH how ta use da machine.

:wink:
.

[Buckshot]

Buckshot,

It's lead not tin. Otherwise my retirement fund would grow a little.:drinks:

.............Oops, sorry about that :-) Saw lead, and thought tin I guess. Still a good haul. A half ton doesn't make a very big pile, does it?

...............Buckshot

[Alvin in AZ]

My source says xray shielding specs call for PURE lead, something in the order of 99.6%.
They have it spec'd at a lab down at Georgia Tech each time they get a new load from
a supplier.

Cool.
Thanks for that information. :)

I melted and poured two 96 pound and two 63 pound lead weights and have
been wondering about their alloying ever since. :)

Used ten 31.5 pound containers "for radioactive material" from the University,
bought about 15 of them altogether from the scrap yard at 15c a pound.
Also threw in about 3 pounds of "ruined" wheel weights and some other stuff.

322 pounds of lead and hardware all totaled.

The photo date sez Sept '06. :)

http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/file12/bumper.jpg
http://www.panix.com/~alvinj/file12/bumper1.jpg

-->don't shoot! :/ <--

I promise not to post pictures of lead being wasted so badly ever again ok?

Alvin in AZ

[Pitmaster]

.............Oops, sorry about that :-) Saw lead, and thought tin I guess. Still a good haul. A half ton doesn't make a very big pile, does it?

...............Buckshot

Sure doesn't. I'm pretty sure its closer to 1300 lbs though. I made multiple trips hauling it in my lawn tractor's cart. I know that I averaged at least 150lbs per trip. I think I made about 10 trips.

This is a wok a friend of mine made out of the bottom of a large propane tank. I'm thinking it might make a great smelter. We mostly use it render lard or frying when butchering hogs.

http://www.lazyq.com/P3280024.jpg